Past #15: Nick Dal Santo - 62 NM/322 AFL games - delisted by NM end '16 - retired from AFL Nov '16

[Rooboy 96]

Ok ok ok ok...... I thought a few might take this the wrong way so lets go back to just facts.
AFL is about winning Grand Finals so....

2012 Sydney - Kennedy, Mattner, Mumford, Richards, Shaw, Morton (Ok Forget him), McGlynn.

2013 Hawks - Burgoyne, Guerra, Gunston, Lake, Gibson, Hale.

This is the new model to win flags now that you can just get up and leave a club.

it is only the current model for the last two years before that the Geelong and Hawthorn Mk1 was the current model, we are in a good place and once we make top 4 (and I am extremely confident ) next year, we will know where the holes are and players with bigger members then NDS will be looking at us more seriously, we don't need alot.

Some of you on here don't like change but those of you with that mindset are already 2 years behind the system.

what system are you talking about

I am one right now think we are as marketable as any side in the comp, but if people don't want to come now.....

God help if we were on the way down like poor Saints and Dees !!!!

this is a scenario that does not apply to us and wont for some time to come.

Some times you have to pay "Overs" to buy a Melbourne Cup winner at the sales !!!!

there is only 1 melbourne cup winner a year, there are many more players to trade for then 1.


the bigger question is, Do we have to do a trade and pay overs, to settle the nerves of a few anxious supporters?

 

[shinboner magic]

I only want to pick players that will improve us, not just for the sake of picking players.

Dal and Betts could improve but that would be a short term fix.
You don't know a garner, McKenzie or Harper might have break out years that will improve us at the same rate as the above 2.
And at a cheaper rate and gives us longer service.

 

[gokangas]

Seems a lot of energy going into this. Hope we have a plan B.

 

[Higgins2Waite]

A: If you follow whats happened in the past your always behind the 8 ball.

B: Cant count Sydney with their extra $1m golden pass cap space.

C: Hawthorn tanked

D: Geelong have been the best model for 10 years and have been largely home grown.

Exactly. They brought in Ottens as the last piece of their puzzle and it clicked at the right time for them. Hopefully NDS will make it click for us

 

[Mr. Blonde]

In the past few years North Melbourne haven't paid "overs" for any players.

This means we have been able to retain EVERY player that we want to retain. Imagine how we'd all feel if it was Black, or Ziebell, or Cunnington, or Thompson, or Swallow, or anyone leaving the club via trade or FA. Our list management is superb, and that is the reason why we don't pay "overs" for players.

 

[Black Diamond]

2012 Sydney - Kennedy, Mattner, Mumford, Richards, Shaw, Morton (Ok Forget him), McGlynn. 2013 Hawks - Burgoyne, Guerra, Gunston, Lake, Gibson, Hale.

None of those guys were brought in under current free agency rules. They reached their clubs via normal trading and drafting, and Hawthorn traded overs for several of those players as they were in a premiership window and could afford to do so. It isn't the same as missing out on Dal Santo, Betts, or any other free agent.

 

[Mr. Blonde]

Seems a lot of energy going into this. Hope we have a plan B.

A lot of energy from the club, or a lot of energy from people on here?

 

[Marstermind]

Our club is fine.

The players who do come stay. Look at all the rumours of going around about blokes wanted to leave the club or at least "explore options" and none are regular best 22 North players. In fact, aside from Gibson and Motlop, I can't think of any others in the past 10 years who wanted to leave.

We haven't played a lot of finals, we don't have as high a profile as others, we don't play blockbusters, get 50,000 through the gate every week, haven't always paid 100% of the cap, haven't always had a secure future and haven't always had state of the art facilities. But generally speaking, guys who walk into NMFC want to stay at our club and commit to it. Those who don't want to come to our club can please themselves elsewhere but NMFC must be doing something right.

 

[Heaps of fun]

A lot of energy from the club, or a lot of energy from people on here?

A lot of energy or a lot of news dispatches that say less and less each time?

 

[Jack Reacher]

I think I covered all this in an earlier thread......close!

 

[TheMcGrathMan]

I'm sure I read somewhere that Betts' manager was saying basically "North and Adelaide offered about the same, Eddie was interested in going to North, a club with an exciting future, but in the end he decided he wanted to go home (Dad lives in Port Lincoln) and play for the club he barracked for"

Not really anything to do with offers/attractiveness. Was for sentimental reasons (according to his manager) that he chose Adelaide.

Cook and Buckley are Geelong and Collingwood men. That's the way it is. In hindsight, both were pretty unrealistic and would have been huge coups.

Dal Santo is interesting - do we maybe go a little overs just to get him, or do we hold steadfast? I hope that we actually start to get good players rather than waiting for development...

 

[Wild Bill]

Does anyone know when the decision has to be made on NDS?

 

[Gannacus]

Seems a lot of energy going into this. Hope we have a plan B.

Got to agree a lot of work on this hope we don't get shafted again why can't we get players to a club going forward. It's a worry when clubs that are gone that we can't extract there players easy

 

[True North]

Sometimes you get into these negotiations to drive up the price for the other club. Our dealings over Figjam has turned Collingwood from a premiership club to a basket case. Geelong ended up giving away the farm to retain Cook. Same goes for Betts. And if Dal Santo ultimately would prefer to play out his career with 3 wooden spoons rather than a shot at a premiership, then he is not North Melbourne material.

I take issue with this.

I don't care about Cook's price or Betts' price. I care about Premierships. Our club seem very preoccupied with the finance side of things and less so with what should be the primary goal. Lack of adventure and calculated risk taking can turn a 14 year drought into 25 pretty easily.

The AFL have guaranteed our existence under the Broadcast deal, we are making $ in Hobart and our list has the potential to achieve the ultimate IF WE MAKE IT HAPPEN. We will not win a Flag with this list because Luke will be our last Top 10 pick for the next 5 years.

 

[Black Diamond]

Similarly, stupid decisions can turn a 14 year drought into 25 pretty easily.

We have enough talent to win a flag. Lack of top ten picks has nothing to do with it.

 

[Passmore]

Seems a lot of energy going into this. Hope we have a plan B.

Hopefully plan B is hitting the draft again. There is not alot on the FA front to get excited about. And I' d hate to see us trade in problems or disruptions.
Docherty would be a nice pick up, but he does play a role we are well covered in.

 

[gokangas]

A lot of energy from the club, or a lot of energy from people on here?

Absolutely both.

 

[gokangas]

I was at a luncheon yesterday with some well connected St Kilda folk. Couldn't believe the absolute hatred for Watters. As one said - he makes Lyon look like a nice bloke. They love Dal Santo and reckon he is an absolute star of a bloke (mind you they love Milne too), so reckon he is only leaving because he is being poorly managed by Watters. They think he will go to North.

 

[Wells Now Williams Fan]

Does anyone know when the decision has to be made on NDS?

Not sure Bill but longer it goes the more likely he just does a Boak (Another who "nearly" wanted to come to us) & just stays home I guess.

A few other clubs have been able to get their deals done while we are just made to hang and wait as usual.

Valid points by quite a few of you but until we win a flag drafting fringe players (Jacobs, Gysberts,Hine) then I will just be dubious of that plan.

Maybe we just need one big name to want to come to North and the flood gates will open although history points to the opposite!!!

 

[True North]

Similarly, stupid decisions can turn a 14 year drought into 25 pretty easily.

We have enough talent to win a flag. Lack of top ten picks has nothing to do with it.

I agree with your first sentence and totally disagree with the second.

Once Boomer retires and Wells can't spend 70% of time in the middle we are pedestrian. You can't expect any of our 2nd rd kids to replace these 2, which means we will be worse off right when we should be challenging.

Quite a few people here just expect Atley, Mullet, Harper and JMAC to be hardened Premiership contending players before Boomer, Petrie and Wells pull up stumps. We are still 4 years away on recent historical data re age. Who replaces the above 3 in 4 years time organically?

 

[Mav]

Brad Scott Contract.

Good point, should have done as Darwinroo said and ****ed him off

 

[Black Diamond]

I agree with your first sentence and totally disagree with the second.

Once Boomer retires and Wells can't spend 70% of time in the middle we are pedestrian. You can't expect any of our 2nd rd kids to replace these 2, which means we will be worse off right when we should be challenging.

Quite a few people here just expect Atley, Mullet, Harper and JMAC to be hardened Premiership contending players before Boomer, Petrie and Wells pull up stumps. We are still 4 years away on recent historical data re age. Who replaces the above 3 in 4 years time organically?

I know what you mean. I just think we can address it by firstly getting a hardened premiership player like Chapman in for two years to set an example, and generally use the talent we have more effectively. I firmly believe we have the players with the ability. We just need some to be more consistent, some to be more ruthless, and some to be more assertive.

 

[chubbspeterson]

Watters seems to have this smug look on his face all the time. He just looks and talks like a knob from what I've seen.

 

[the big lebowski]

I've never liked watters the coach. Make of that what you will.

 

[kool kangas]

Time for DalSanto to say "up yours" to the saints and just leave......